Good morning Growers Network readers! Some of you may have trouble buying gifts for your marijuana-enthusiast friends. Well I’m here to offer the gift the keeps on giving… knowledge!

Not from me though. To get that knowledge, you’re going to have to keep reading Growers Spotlight on the regular. I can’t very well package up my knowledge and deliver it to you in a singular book could I? Well, I probably could, but there’s people who would do it better than me anyway.

So, if you’re looking to get a gift for the enthusiast in your life, or you just want to find something to occupy your time and learn about Cannabis in the process, here are a few books I picked out, and why you might like them if you haven’t already read them:

This one’s a classic. Jorge Cervantes is a very well-known author and cultivator in the Cannabis industry, and he’s passed his knowledge on in a simple, easy-to-read book. The book has numerous pictures and illustrations to accompany his descriptions, and if you’re not convinced… just check out how positive the reviews are. The book is a smooth 596 pages, arranged in a pretty logical fashion.

So regardless of what level you’re at in cultivating Cannabis, the Cannabis Encyclopedia should be able to help you. You’ll sometimes hear it referred to as the Grower’s Bible, but that’s an older version of the book, or sometimes an entirely different book.

Side Note: Jorge Cervantes is actually a pseudonym. His real name is George Van Patten.

We recently did an article on some Cannabis recipes for the holidays, but sometimes it just helps to have a cookbook handy with you in the kitchen. That’s where High Time’s cookbook can help you out. High Times magazine is well known for being one of the largest and oldest cannabis magazines in the industry, besides Sinsemilla Tips.

So why not present your friends or family with a cookbook they can confidently stroll into the kitchen with? And of course, don’t take our word for it. Check out the reviews.

This one’s a little different from the other books we’ve already mentioned. This one is focused on general hydroponic agriculture -- a skill valuable not only in cannabis, but other commercial agriculture industries. If you, your friend, or your family member is looking to get a Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) degree, this book will be a must-read during their coursework.

The knowledge this book contains can be practically put on your resume. Many Cannabis grows are looking for growers that know more than just a random person on the street, and this book can help you there.

As always, we recommend you read the reviews.

This book is not focused specifically on Cannabis, instead focusing on the creation of tinctures and herbal medicines. For anybody in your family who is interested in helping people as a caregiver or wants to get into making medicinal extracts, this book can help them.

Additionally, the book highlights important steps in the Cannabis curing process, such as drying and curing. These steps are critical to making the most potent medicine you can. The book also covers the processes in making salves and creams, teas and ingestibles, and other medicinal products. Make sure to read the reviews!

This book focuses less on cultivation and medicine, and more on on the history and politics surrounding Cannabis. If you have a friend or family member who is big on political science, history, or just interested in the state of the world, this book may be the one for them.

If you want to know the history of Cannabis as it pertains to a modern environment, look no further. And of course, should you not want to take our word for it, check out the reviews!

If you or a loved one wants to learn more about the industry, it’s hard to go wrong with one of these books. That said, we’re always looking for more knowledge here at Growers Network. Is there a book we didn’t mention? Let us know in the survey below or on the forums!

As much as cannabis users like to smoke a bowl, take a doobie, or vape away, sometimes we want something a little more… tasty. To that end, we’re discussing cannabis recipes that are themed for the holidays.

Cannabutter (or Cannaoil) is the basis for a lot of other cannabis recipes, so we’ll start with it. It is possible to make cannabis-infused sugar as well (our Canna Cribs Episode on Phat Panda covers that), but it requires some extraction experience. Cannabutter, on the other hand, does not require too much technical expertise.

What you’ll need:

1. 1 Cup of Water
2. 1 Cup of Butter (or oil if you prefer)
3. 1 Cup of Cannabis (Strain of your choice)

Step #1:

We’ll need to start by decarboxylating our cannabis. In Digamma’s Treatise on Decarboxylation, we learned that raw cannabis does not contain the active compounds we want, such as THC or CBD. Instead, raw cannabis tends to have the acid precursor forms of these chemicals, namely THCA or CBDA.

In order to decarboxylate our cannabis, we’ll need to give it some heat, but not enough to cause it to ignite, otherwise you’ll be hotboxing your oven. You’ll want to set your oven to about 250° Fahrenheit (120° C) and place your buds or ground cannabis onto a baking sheet with parchment paper for about 30 to 40 minutes. You can decarb at higher temperatures for faster, but you may end up with less even decarboxylation, reducing the potency of your cannabutter. Make sure to regularly shake and move your buds so that they heat evenly.

Step #2:

Once the buds have dried out and been heated, you’ll want to grind them up in a mortar and pestle, or a Magic Bullet. This will make it easy to put into the butter.

Step #3:

Melt the butter in a saucepan with the water. The water will help regulate temperature, we’ll get rid of it later. Don’t boil the water or butter -- let the water simmer gently. As the butter melts, pour in the ground cannabis and stir thoroughly. Let simmer gently for two to three hours, stirring occasionally. Do not let the butter burn or water boil -- try to keep the temperature between 160-200° Fahrenheit.

Step #4:

Once most of the water has evaporated from the mixture, you’ll want to pour the cannabutter over a cheesecloth (or similar filter) and into a container of your choice. Don’t pour it while hot! Let it cool a little bit before pouring, but not so much it resolidifies. The cheesecloth will help strain out the undesirable plant materials.

And there you go! Cannabutter, ready to serve or to be used in other recipes. Just make sure to keep this away from any kids!

This is where your cannabutter (or canna oil) can really come in handy. You don’t need to go to any fancy marijuana cooking website to make infused brownies now! Instead, you can substitute any butter, margarine, or oils in recipes with your cannabutter or cannaoil.

So next we’re going to take a classic brownie recipe and swap out the normal butter for cannabutter. For this recipe, you’ll need the following:

1. ½ cup of cannabutter
2. 1 cup white or brown sugar
3. 2 eggs
4. ⅓ cup cocoa powder
5. ½ cup all-purpose flour
6. ¼ teaspoon salt
7. ¼ teaspoon baking powder

And for the frosting:

1. 3 tablespoons of cannabutter
2. 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
3. 1 tablespoon of honey
4. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
5. 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar

You can follow the instructions for the rest of the recipe here, or you can use your own brownie recipe.

Applesauce goes great with a lot of things and is great for people of all ages (Just don’t give this to kids. Cannabis applesauce is not for kids). It can go with breakfast, latkes, dinner, nearly everything. If your grandparents or parents like to medicate, this is a great option for them. The applesauce doesn’t require a whole lot of input, so you can generally do other things while you’re cooking it.

What you’ll need:

1. 3 lbs. of apples of your choice -- can be sweet, tart, whatever you prefer.
2. 4 tablespoons of cannabis-infused glycerine. The recipe to make cannabis-infused glycerine can be found here.
3. Cinnamon (to whatever amount you prefer)
4. A large saucepan

Step #1:

Core the apples and chop them into smaller bits. The smaller the bit, the faster it’ll cook. Put the pieces in a saucepan and move over medium heat until the apple pieces are soft (can take an hour or two). Stir regularly.

Step #2:

Once you see little pools of juice forming around the apple bits, add some cinnamon to the applesauce while maintaining heat. You can mash the apple bits to speed up the process.

Step #3:

Once the applesauce has reached a consistency you like, you can pour in the cannabis-infused glycerine and stir. Once it has been thoroughly mixed in, the applesauce is ready to eat. You can eat it hot, or cool it in the fridge -- whatever fits your fancy!

This one’s a classic for any gathering, so why not make it a family couch day?

Here’s what you’ll need for the salad:

1. 4 cups baby spinach (or lettuce if you prefer, spinach is better)
2. 2 fuji apples (thin-sliced)
3. ⅓ cup feta cheese
4. ⅓ cup craisins (cranberry raisins)
5. ½ cup of walnut pieces

And here’s what you’ll need for the vinaigrette:

1. ¼ cup of cannabis-infused oil
2. ¼ apple cider vinegar
3. ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
4. 1 teaspoon brown sugar
5. ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
6. ¼ teaspoon oregano
7. ¼ teaspoon basil
8. ½ teaspoon salt
9. ¼ teaspoon black ground pepper

Instructions are pretty simple. Stick all of the vinaigrette materials into a blender to make it smooth. Wash the baby spinach and slice the apples, then put them in a bowl together, throw in the feta, craisins, and walnut pieces, give it a mix, then drizzle the vinaigrette on top when ready to eat and give it a toss.

Movies are a family favorite, and popcorn mixes perfectly with movies! Obviously, if you have kids, you may want a separate bowl of popcorn for them, but for mom and dad (and grandma!), the special popcorn bowl will add a whole layer of fun.

You can make the popcorn in a popcorn maker and pour melted cannabutter over them, or you can cook the popcorn and cannabutter together in a skillet, whatever you choose to do. Top it off with a dash of salt to taste and voila! Perfect cannabuttered popcorn.

Well there you have it. Five great holiday and Christmas-themed cannabis foods! Do you have any family favorites? If so, let us know in the survey or comments!

Most people have trouble finding the perfect gift for their relatives. After all, if your relative has money, they usually already have the things that they want. If your relatives don’t have money, it feels like a cop-out to give them money instead of a gift.

But you know what’s never a bad gift? Flowers.

So without further ado, let’s go over 5 Cannabis-themed holiday gifts, and see if we can’t find something that all of your relatives can enjoy!

It’s hard to go wrong with a plain ol’ jar of good flower. After all, if you’re an adult in a recreational state, why not? You’ll get a few days worth of enjoyment out of an ounce of cannabis (or hours if you’re particularly enthusiastic). So why not drop by your nearest dispensary and pick something good up?

For the cannabis users in your life who prefer a more casual cannabis experience, vapes are a great choice. A good vape provides ease-of-use, discretion, and comfort that a joint, bong, or dab might not. Always read the reviews for the vapes you buy. Sometimes things that are expensive are worse!

Now I know what you’re thinking, “People look silly when they wear weed apparel.” After all, I’m sure most of you have seen that guy at conventions who wears the giant marijuana costume.

But no, we’re talking something a little classier than that. Have you seen some of the cool stuff coming out of cannabis culture these days? There’s shirts celebrating THC, there’s UV-protective clothing, and there’s even cannabis-themed jewelry! If your relative really appreciates cannabis, they will appreciate classy apparel.

Not cutting it anymore.

Of course, if your relative has pets or kids, it’s important that they have a safe place to stash their goodies that won’t attract the youngins or furry friends. And that’s where an odor-resistant bag comes in handy. Check out some of this sweet luggage that can serve to hide odors and keep your flowers safe!

This one may take a little bit more work, but in our “How to Grow” series, we’re explaining the steps on how to grow your own cannabis. Some plants can grow to be the size of small trees -- perfect for hanging some tinsel and decorations off of!

It’s festive, non-denominational, and while it may be flammable, at least you’ll have fun if it goes up!

So what do you think? Do you have your own ideas for cannabis-related gifts? Join the discussion on the forum now!